Detroit Lions running back Kerryon Johnson is ready to play in his first NFL regular-season game on Monday night. But what role will the former Auburn standout play against the New York Jets?

The Lions finished last in the NFL in rushing in 2017 and drafted Johnson in the second round in April to address that shortcoming after he led the SEC with 1,391 rushing yards. Detroit also signed two-time 1,000-yard rusher LeGarrette Blount in free agency.

They joined Ameer Abdullah, the former Homewood High School standout who led the Lions in rushing in 2015 and 2017, and Theo Riddick, who's caught 287 passes over the past four seasons for Detroit, at running back.

"Whatever role that forms into, I guess we'll know next Monday and from every week on out," Johnson told reporters last week about what he'll do in Detroit's offense.

Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said Johnson would forge his role in the attack.

"I look forward to sort of letting his role within the offense show itself as his talent level does and his learning does," Cooter said. "... We're encouraged where Kerryon is heading, and we look forward to kind of letting those roles define themselves as we get going."

The Jets aren't sure what the Lions plan with their running backs.

"I've seen LeGarrette for quite a while now," Jets coach Todd Bowles said. "Saw him in New England. Obviously, he did a heck of a job in Philly last year. And Kerryon did a hell of a job in college. They really like the runner, and they've got power backs, they've got speed backs, they've got both. They can do both -- they can run and catch the ball.

"They've got about a four-headed monster over there, so we really got our work cut out for us."

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That's the way the Lions want it.

"In our backfield, we tried to get as much competition as possible," Detroit coach Matt Patricia said. "I think all those guys do things really well. Each guy is a bit different, which is good for us and gives us a variance to use them instead of having the four same guys that don't affect the defense as much."

"We'll make sure it's not predictable where you can find a run-pass key based on the personnel that's out there. With our backfield, those guys can do one or the other. I think they do both very well. I think it puts a bind on the defense when you can threaten them with players that can do both."

In three preseason games, Johnson ran for 68 yards on 15 carries and caught five passes for 43 yards.

"They drafted me to run the ball. They drafted me to be a complete back. They drafted me to play," Johnson said. "I went out and played and gave it my all. I ran, I blocked, I caught. I did what I was supposed to do."

Blount outweighs the other Detroit running backs by at least 40 pounds. But Lions running-backs coach David Walker said Johnson runs in a similarly hard-hitting manner as the 247-pound Blount.

"He's not an easy tackle," Walker said about Johnson. "He runs hard and tough. ...

"He's maybe a little bit different from watching some of the lighter backs we've had in past. But a guy like him and LG, hope to be a little bit more difficult to handle for some of the defensive players."